


Daryl.

by bellarkeark



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Domestic Violence, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Past Abuse, Poetry, Suicidal Thoughts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-27
Updated: 2016-12-27
Packaged: 2018-09-12 13:17:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9073474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bellarkeark/pseuds/bellarkeark
Summary: a poem about daryl that i wrote back in october. it's not as awful as the tags make it to be, though. it all gets better





	

**Author's Note:**

> for Haley

And yet here you are never having known kindness

Because your father drowned his sorrows  
in liquor the color of honey

But his fists weren't sweet on your face and neither were

His words and the way he spat them at you and blamed you for

Not being good enough.

Your brother was even worse with his sneers and the insults he

Whispered in your ear as he held you in a chokehold

And there were times where you felt your heart stop because you thought

"Just a bit tighter. A bit tighter and it's over."

Now they're both gone but their memories still live

As voices in your head and as scars on your back and

In the way you tie your shoelaces because it was your brother

Who taught you about bunny ears.

 

They're gone.

And yet here you are never having known kindness

Because nobody taught you to love yourself as much as you loved the first boy you kissed.

He reached for your hand once and panic struck because

Whenever someone reached for you it was to hurt you

And you didn't trust yourself

Not to break down if yet another person you cared about

Bruised your skin and let you bleed.

 

But why would the Sun bleed?

Because you hold such light inside of you

And that's why your father beat the shit out of you

And that's why your brother held your head under water

Until your lungs almost gave out.

You grew up in the shadow of

Two things rotten to the core

And their stench and decay almost reached your soul

But you remain unbroken.

Damaged, but unbroken.

 

So let flowers grow inside you and let yourself see yourself for what you are:

Rain in the desert and

Snow in August and most importantly,

You are important.

There's love inside of you and there's love that surrounds you

And you are safety and home and warmth and something sweet.

You are light and you are joy

And their decay has not touched your soul because

Love cannot be conquered.

Your soul is yours and only yours and the

Demons that live inside your head will go away

As soon as you realize

That you've known kindness all your life because

You are kindness.


End file.
